Puzzle.



CHARLES H. SWARTWbOD, or nvnnnrr, MASSACHUSETTS.

' PUZZLE.

' Specification of Letters Patent, V Patented Ma 6,1917.-

. Application filed May 10, 1915. Serial No; 26,965. i.

ing at Everett, in the county. of Middlesex, 1n the State ofMassachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inPuzzles, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the '-accom-,

panying drawings.

This invention relates to a novel type of puzzle which I term the PanamaCanal Puzzle, in-as-much as it illustrates an attempt to pass a vesselthrough a canal lock,

during which passage the movement of the My said puzzle is illustratedin the'annexed drawings, Figure 1 being a side elevation of adiagrammaticrepresentation of a canal lock, with a vessel therein. Fig.2 is a similar view showing the vessel in the lock and the obstructionin its operative (lock ing) position. Fig. 3 is a transverse verticalsectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the obstructionremoved and Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view. showing the obstructionin its locking position. Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional viewstaken on a line with the screw shaft; and Figs. 7 and 8 are verticalsectional views of the lower portion of the vessel and of the engagingportion of the lock, taken on a line with the said screw.

Briefly described my improved puzzle includes a notched lock. and avessel adapted to pass through the said lock; the bed of the lock beingnotched and the vessel carrying a block which will drop by'gravity intothe said notch as the vessel. attempts to pass through the lock. Meansis also provided for locking the said block in the notch, as well asconcealed means whereby the block may be released from the notch if onediscovers the said concealed means.

Referring to the annexed drawings. the numeral 20 indicates the lock and21 denotes a vessel having the lower portion of its hull adapted tointerlock with the undercut sides of the lock, as will be understood byreference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

The bottom wall of the lock is formed with a depression or notch 22 andthe boat is provided, in its lower portion, with a lever- 28 which isfulcrumed at 24', one end of said lever beingformed with a weightedenlargement 24 which is adapted to drop-by gravity into the notch 22.and the other end of said lever is engaged by afalse mast 25 in suchmanner that, if the mast is pushed downward, the lever 23 will be rockedon its ful crum so as to lift the block out of the notch 22, and thuspermit the boat to pass on through the lock. I

Within the hull of the vessel, alongside of the opening in which theblock 24 is located, is a pocket 26 which'is adapted to receive a ball,or shot 27, (see particularly Fig. 3 of the drawings). Between thepocket 26 and the opening in which the block 24 is located, i's'a plate28 which is attached to V A the propeller shaft 29 the said shaft and.

plate 28 being capable of endwise movement. It will now be understoodthat when the shaft and'plate' are drawn rearward the pocket 26 will beopento the opening in which the block 24 is located and, when the saidblock drops by gravity into the notch 22, the ball may pass laterallyfrom its heretofore confined; position in the pocket 26 to a positionover the block24 as seen in Fig. 4, thus looking for the time being, theblock in the notch 22.

Assuming that we have a puzzle of the described construction and. thatthe boat has been moved forward in the lock until the block 24 hasdropped into the notch 22 removed and the'ball cannot be removed u ntilthe plate 28 is withdrawn. The puzzle is to discover, first, how toremove the ball and, second, how to rock the lever 23 so to lift theblock 24 out of the notch 22. In order to remove the ball the shaft 29and attached plate 28 must first be drawn rearward thus permitting theball to move lat-' 'erally into the pocket 26, as seen 1n Flg. 6,

and-then the mast 25 must be pushed downward in the hull of the vesselvthus rocking the lever 23 and raising the block 24 out of notch 22, whenthe vessel may be passed on freely through the lock.-

Obviously, the block 24 cannot be 1 Havingthus described my invention, I

claim as new and Wish to secure by Letters Patent A puzzle of the typedescribed, including tWo elements slidably arranged With respect to eachother, one having an undercut base receiving laterally extended baseportions of the other, one of said elements having a longitudinal grooveopening vthrough its lower surface and terminating at one end in alateral pocket, the other element having a notch opening through itsupper surface and coincidently with said pocket, a shaft having attachedthereto a plate intermediate Copies of this patentmay be obtained forsaid pocket and said notch, a lever ful crumed intermediate the twofirst referred to members and having a lateral enlargement at one endarranged to be received by said notch, an endwise movable elementarranged in one of said first-referred to elements and adapted to engagesaid lever, and a spherical member received Within said pocket andadapted to be brought into a position over the enlargement of saidlever.

CHARLES H. SWARTWOOD. Witnesses:

DOROTHY A. Gonnns, FREDK DAGGETT. I

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents, Washington,-D. G.

